Digging deeperPlant Library

Group/Class:  Highbush Blueberry

Description:

The hardiest highbush blueberry, produces amazing crops of sweet dark blue fruit in early summer, pretty bell-shaped flowers in spring, with a bushy, rounded habit; blueberries need highly acidic soil, perfect drainage and mulch, plant with peat moss

Ornamental Features

Northland Blueberry is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. It features an abundance of magnificent blue berries in mid summer. It features dainty clusters of white bell-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones hanging below the branches in mid spring. It has green deciduous foliage. The glossy oval leaves turn an outstanding orange in the fall. The smooth yellow bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

This plant is primarily grown as an ornamental, but it's also valued for its edible qualities. The round sweet berries are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Freezing

Landscape Attributes

Northland Blueberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance shrub that will require regular care and upkeep, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Northland Blueberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Northland Blueberry will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have sandy, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.

Note:

Blueberries require a low pH (acidic soil). Our soils are very alkaline so special care has to be taken to get them to give abundant fruit. Thus the 'High Maintenance' rating. Consult our staff or CSU for growing instructions.